Outdoor Sports Column: Trout and crappies top WNY angler list
By Forrest Fisher
It’s just ahead, April 1 officially marks April Fool’s Day, but it is also opening day for the NYS inland trout season! There are lots of big and little kids looking forward to the eventful annual anniversary ritual.
About 55 years ago, when I was just old enough to carry my own rod/reel, there were dozens of local bait and tackle stores that leaked out where “best fishing spots” could be found. We all leaned our ears that way each year about this time. These older store owners knew where DEC stocked local streams and also shared fish-catching stories from the year, or two, before.
Once in a while, the names of hot fishing lures came out. Among them, size three CP Swing spinners or size two Mepp’s squirrel tail spinners, these were real trout catchers in the old days, and they still are! Most everyone used a salted minnow or a worm, the trout purists with flies were mostly not out there on opening day, they started fishing when the mayflies started hatching toward the end of April.
There was fish-catching magic in the stories those old bait dealers told in olden years. Of course, most of the bait and tackle shops are gone now, we still have a handful, new rules and minnow regulations, big stores carrying bait in bags, did the little guys in. I miss ‘em. The source of secret “inside savvy” has disappeared from that source.
Kids still like to fish though, thank goodness. School kids everywhere still lean-in to beg secrets from modern day fishing “old-timers” that always seem to “catch ’em.” Today, however, we have video games and TV reruns as a major distraction from the love of the outdoors. I for one, loved being a kid back in the 50s.
Long lines of parked cars could be found at famous local WNY trout fishing places. Opening day hotspots included the Albro Road bridge on Wiscoy Creek and Trout Brook in Wyoming County, the Pike dam downstream in the village of Pike, the East Koy Creek stretch on both sides of the Route 19 bridge in Gainesville, and many other hot spots for early season trout fishing. These spots still are popular today.
If you caught a fish, it might only have been 10 inches long (if caught a big one). Knee-high, boot-clad fishing folks simply slipped these fish into their belt-mounted, bamboo creels that were filled with leaves and ferns. The greens seemed to keep the fish from drying out until they were readied for table. Folks catching all the fish usually kept quiet about how many, how big, where and when. Fishing secrets were a big thing!
Today, most folks catch inland trout and release them to live another day. Inland trout are often caught many times before someone keeps them for the pan. A good thing! Early season trout are easy to catch because many of them are stocked fish and they are not “stream-wise” just yet. They have never been caught before. Their guard is down and they are simply looking to eat all the time. Drop in just about anything that looks like food and “wham,” it’s gone. Fish on!
It’s great for teaching young kids the fun of the outdoors through fishing. A simple worm and bobber will usually get a fish or two to the bucket for a closer look. Trout are so beautiful to watch. They are sleek, covered with irregular sized spots — some colored spots, they are gentle looking and have a slight glossy sheen to them that makes them a special fish to view. Trout are sensitive to handling, water temperature changes, and other factors.
If you are lucky enough to land a trout, if you intend to release the fish, be extra careful when you touch them. Inland trout are delicate and they seem prone to easy injury from handling. If you intend to release the fish, simply grab the hook with a pair of needle-nose pliers and slip the hook out without physically touching the fish. It will survive that way, no problem.
Today, we have classified the opening day of the “Inland Trout” season so that it is distinguished from streams that are tributaries to our Great Lakes. The difference is necessary now because anglers are permitted to fish for Great Lakes trout and salmon all year long. There is no closed season for the tributary fish and early in the year, like right now, giant steelhead, giant rainbow trout and giant brown trout head upstream in the trib’s.
In Erie County and Chautauqua County, the more notable “big fish” Lake Erie tributary streams include Buffalo Creek, Cayuga Creek, 18-Mile creek, Cattaraugus Creek, Canadaway Creek and Chautauqua Creek. There are trib’s off these trib’s too, that appeal to monster tackle busters each year, as well.
DEC Fisheries Biologist, Mike Todd, reports that “a portion of the tributary steelhead are actively spawning and generally will not strike during their spawning period. Anglers should avoid active spawning fish and take care not to disturb redds (gravel nests) as natural reproduction adds to our excellent steelhead fishery. Look for steelhead (pre and post spawn) holding in the middle and upper sections of the creeks. Recent action has been best on egg sacs, egg patterns and woolly buggers.”
Fishing secrets seem to be “out and about” on the popular tributary streams and anglers are talking to each other now to share the fun of fishing closer to home. There are plenty of fish to go around! For example, Kevin Walczyk, asked his girl friend, Kara Donner, to join him and his dad fishing at 18-Mile Creek last Sunday. Kevin is son of notable tributary angler, Rick Walczyk, a Colden resident and skilled machinist at Moog in East Aurora. The day was chilly, but the trio started down from their roadside parking spot at about 9:00 a.m. to reach the west branch a few minutes later.
Casting a simple bobber-rigged “Mickey Finn” jig-fly (1/32 ounce) in a bright yellow-red colored streamer-like offering that resembled fresh rainbow skein, 18-year old Kara caught her first tributary fish by 10 AM. She flipped eight-pound Berkley Trilene XT monofilament delivered from a limber noodle rod into the tail end of pools found along the streamside walk upstream from where the east and west branch of the creeks meet in Hamburg.
Kevin managed to land three nice fish before the day ended at 2:00 p.m., but Kara bested her boyfriend in the final tally with four steelhead between 24 and 27 inches, all four to seven pounds (you are a smart man Kevin!). Always let the ladies win the stream battles. Rick, the stream mentor for both, who surprised both Kevin and Kara with the noodle rods they were using for Christmas, was not to be left behind. He tied Kara for the lead in fish landed and released with four beautiful steelhead.
The senior Walczyk says, “It’s really a lot of fun to watch the younger set catch a few fish from our incredible streams here in WNY.” Later adding, “most folks don’t realize how good the fishing is here close to where people live in urban centers. Many of these creeks run right by townhouses and populated housing areas, it’s hard to imagine the waters are so full of incredible fish.” Enough said there!
The big-hearted Walczyk says, “One bit of advice is to stay small on bobber size. We use tiny ice-fishing bobbers to just keep the tiny jighead up from the bottom a bit. The big bobbers do spook the fish.” I’m rigging my lines right now! Walczyk released all the fish they caught, but admits that on occasion, they keep one for the smoker.
The smaller Lake Erie tributary streams are getting very clear now, since the primary snow melt and runoff is over, and it has been several days since we have had any significant rainfall. If temperatures stay cool, that will mean switching to thinner diameter lines or using fluorocarbon to avoid spooking the fish.
It’s a fun time to fish in WNY!!
Inland trout stocking sites
The NYS-DEC Fish Hatcheries and members of the Erie County Federation of Sportsmen Fish Committee have been busy stocking many numerous streams in preparation for the Aprils Fool’s Day inland trout opener. In Erie County, the east branch of Cazenovia Creek near four sites close to Emery Park received 2500 one-year old browns and 300 two-year olds. At the upper reaches of 18-Mile Creek, 600 were stocked at Boston Town Park. In Lancaster and Marilla, Little Buffalo Creek was stocked with 1250 one-year old browns and 210 two-year old fish. On the Cattaraugus Creek near Yorkshire, nearly 4,000 brown trout were stocked. In popular Wyoming County, Buffalo creek near java received 1,090 one-year old browns and 210 two-year olds. Beaver Meadow Creek at Java received 330 one-year fish. The East Koy in Gainesville received 4,930 one-year browns and 670 two-year fish. At Little Tonawanda in Middlebury, 580 one-year browns were stocked. At nearby Orangeville, on the upper reaches of Tonawanda Creek, some 1,000 one-year old browns and 210 two-year olds were placed. Enjoy!
Chautauqua Lake Fish Report
Expert angler, Craig Robbins, reports that ice-off has occurred at most southern tier lakes, ponds and streams and this signal the beginning of the fun fishing season in Western New York. Robbins says, “ice off on Chautauqua Lake means the resurgent Chautauqua Lake crappie population will soon be tested.”
The lower basin of Chautauqua Lake holds more crappie in the shallows and the cannels, especially the Rock Island and Grass Island areas, where anglers can find crappie, yellow perch and walleye. In the upper basin (north), monster crappie can be found near deeper vegetation edges in front of the State launch at Prendergast and off the Mayville flats. Light tackle is best when teamed with lightweight 1/32 once jigs holding one inch tube tails tipped with minnows.
Robbins says, “This is a tried and true Chautauqua Lake crappie set-up.” Veteran anglers keep their offering just off the bottom or just over the top of the vegetation with a float to yield consistent action. Note that there are numerous public boat launch access sites available at Long Point State, Prendergast State Launch, Jamestown City Launch, Village of Mayville Launch and Celeron Public Launch to name a few. For more info on Chautauqua County, call the Chautauqua County Fishing and Hunting Hotline number at 800-242-4569.
Outdoors Calendar
March 28: Western New York PF Banquet, 6 p.m., Antonio’s Center, call 433-3547.
March 28 / April 4: Hunter Ed Course, Armor Fire Hall, Hamburg, call 827-0147.
March 28/29: 3D Archery, Alaskan Shoot, Hawkeye Bowmen, 13300 Clinton St., Marilla, Kitchen opens 6 a.m., registration 7 a.m. – 1 p.m., call 684-2280.
March 29: NYS coyote hunting season ends.
March 31: NYS beaver and otter trapping season ends in Northern Zone.
March 31: NYS crow hunting season ends.
March 31: April 2, 7: Bowhunter Ed, three-part series, Tonawanda City Schools, call 695-5501.
April 1: NYS inland trout season 2009 opening day.
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